The Panther's Surrogate: A Paranormal Pregnancy Romance (15 page)

BONUS BOOK

THE PANTHER'S URGENT MATE

ANGELA FOXXE

About This Book:

WerePanther Charles Boardman has it all. A nice living space, a loyal pack and the lifetime achievement of being the Alpha.

However, his pack are demanding he find a mate and reproduce. Failure to do so soon might put his Alpha status in jeopardy.

So Charles takes urgent action and goes on to an online app called Sinder to find a mate and find one fast...

THE PANTHER'S URGENT MATE

Chapter One

Charles Boardman entered the large white house he shared with the rest of his pack. After obtaining his leadership role when his father died six months ago, he settled into his Alpha status easily enough. He had feared that he wouldn’t be ready to take the Alpha role when his father died, but as time proved over and over, he was more than ready.

He had helped his fellow pack members in their personal lives since the exposure of shapeshifters into general society. He worked out some political issues with fellow pack members, and other pack members from different shape shifting societies. But the best thing he did, that he was most proud of, was help make sure the public wouldn’t be afraid of the panther sector of shapeshifters. He loved his status as Alpha male and he wasn’t going to be giving it up any time soon.

He was on a way to a meeting with the other male pack members after a long day at the office. He worked as a financial consultant in one of the city’s most prominent office buildings and he was treated with respect there. He enjoyed everything about his life now that he was Alpha and there wasn’t anything he’d change.

Although, sometimes in the dead of night he felt a stiff loneliness that he couldn’t quite describe. He was surrounded by people all of the time and yet he felt sad when he went to bed at night, as though despite all of the things he had done, he was meant for something greater.

He felt that he was meant for someone special. He couldn’t quite describe the empty feeling, except that he felt like a piece of him was missing, as if he had a counterpart waiting around for him somewhere in his life. Generally, he shook it off and just assumed he needed to get laid, but as time continued on, and he took notice of more couples and their children, especially in the pack, he wondered whether he needed his own mate.

He approached the doors of the conference room they generally used for monthly meetings, pushed the door open, and came to face with of ten or so gentlemen in the room, who were already drinking whiskey and mingling. He looked around the room, taking note of who was there and who was missing. They were still waiting for a few people. As much as none of them wanted to participate in their day jobs, it was essential to keep up appearances.

“Hello.” Charles greeted, looking around the room and nodding at each of his underlings.

“Alpha.” They greeted in unison.

Charles smiled and went to pour himself a two-finger measure of whiskey before sitting down at the head of the table. He put his briefcase on the table and began to take out some papers he’d taken notes on, so he could remember to cover most of the information. He watched the door in silence as everyone began to mill around him and saw the two missing people came in, looking a little winded. Charles guessed they ran to get there. ,

Once everyone was sat down and drinks were placed in front of each person, Charles began to read from the notes he had carefully prepared. He tried to make it as interesting as possible but he could only do so much with mundane information.

“Any questions?” Charles asked when he was finished.

Everyone seemed to jerk back to life when they realized they were being asked a question.

“What about your mate?” Someone asked curiously.

“What about her?” Charles asked, surprised and a little confused, looking back through his notes to see if he had mentioned a mate but didn’t find anything.

“I just mean, you need to find a mate before your year is up or any of us could duel you for Alpha,” the same person said.

Charles squinted, trying to make out who had spoken and then realized it was Bradley Smith, the one person who Charles sorely disliked.

“What are you talking about?” Charles asked, unable to understand his meaning.

“Within a year’s time, if the Alpha hasn’t found a mate, he can be challenged by another pack member because he hasn’t yet fully taken on his responsibilities as Alpha.” Bradley recited.

“What do you mean, my responsibilities?” Charles asked, narrowing his eyes at him.

“Exactly what I mean, your responsibilities. You’re supposed to set an example and find a mate and a child to continue the Alpha line,” Bradley said, with a patronizing tone.

Charles blinked rapidly, not knowing what to say. On the one hand, he knew, reluctantly, that Bradley was correct; on the other hand, he was sure he could take Bradley in a duel so if he didn’t find a mate, he’d have nothing to worry about.

But then as he looked around the table and took in the other members’ reaction, he wondered whether he’d be so lucky with anyone else. He wasn’t willing to bet his life on it, so he knew what he had to do: he had to find himself a mate, and he had to do it quick before the six months were up and someone could ask him to duel.

***

Charles was staring unblinkingly down at his dinner that night. He was conflicted and had no idea what to do. He didn’t want to allow Bradley to win, but he really didn’t want to find some woman and marry her just to have his offspring, so he could maintain his position. Truthfully, he had always been a romantic, especially after watching his parents, undiminished love, until his mother had been killed by one of their enemies. After his mother’s death, his father hadn’t been the same. This had impacted on him, not just because Charles saw how easily you might lose someone, but also that it was important to find someone who you loved and who loved you. He didn’t want to marry some woman just to procreate with her, he wanted to love her, genuinely.

“Charles.”

Charles looked up to find Stuart, his right hand man, looking concerned.

“Stuart.” Charles greeted him, moving to pick up the wine glass that was in front of his dinner plate and finishing it off in a large gulp.

“That was pretty bad what Bradley said today in the meeting,” Stuart observed.

“Tell me about it,” Charles mumbled, pouring some more wine in his glass and finishing it off before it was able to air out the way he liked it. He poured another glass and paused, looking over at his friend and confidante.

“What do you think I should do?” Charles asked, looking down and feeling unsure of himself.

He felt odd, and unsure of himself. He felt like this feeling was creeping into his stomach and spilling out of him in waves; he felt sick, making him second guess himself. He wasn’t sure what to make of it, but he deeply hated it. He needed to fix this but he had no idea what to do.

Bradley had called him out in front of everyone. If his father was here, he would tell him to take him down. He needed to show Bradley who was Alpha. What irritated Charles was that Bradley was right, and everyone knew it.

“What do you want to do, Charles?” Stuart asked quietly, regarding his friend with curious eyes.

Charles was silent as he contemplated the issue.

“Okay, let’s start with why wouldn’t you want to do it?” Stuart continued, curiosity lacing his voice even more.

Charles knew for anyone else, the decision would be easy: find some willing woman and make her his mate and impregnate her and then keep his title. But the love between his parents kept playing in his mind and in his heart, he didn't want anything less than what they shared.

After his mother died, Charles' father was never the same. He dived into his Alpha status, becoming vicious and calculating. He became everything that Charles himself didn’t want for the pack. He wanted to be like how his father was in the beginning -- loved, adored, and liked as a pack master. And he figured to do that, he would need a nice, willing woman to take a place beside him. Besides, it was a lot more difficult now that shapeshifters were out in the world.

“I want love,” Charles said simply, looking around at the other pack members as they ate with their significant others. He wanted to love and be loved. He wanted what the other pack members had in the way of a family.

They were all family but at the same time, Charles felt isolated. He wasn’t always able to do the other things the pack members did. Sometimes he had to be the leader, and as much as he liked that, he wasn’t able to just enjoy life. Besides, they were all a family.

It t was difficult to be around people who were so in love they would never let anyone get between them. His pack were a family, in the larger sense, but they also had their own little groups that they went off with during the night, and that’s what Charles wanted.

He wanted someone to call his own and who would care if he were in trouble. He wanted a mate, and it wasn’t just because Bradley could take his Alpha status away from him, he genuinely wanted a mate so that he could be happy. He just figured that having a mate, then impregnating her, would be a bonus if he was in love and got to keep his Alpha status, but that was a pipe dream.

“You want love?” Stuart asked, surprised.

Charles nodded and looked over at him, breaking out of his thoughts. “Is that so hard to believe?”

Stuart chuckled and clasped him on the back. “I don’t find it hard to believe, no.”

Charles smiled, “So what do you think I should do? Find some woman to marry just so I can keep my Alpha status, or should I hold out and find love?” he asked curiously.

Stuart smiled slightly.  “Why can’t you do both?” he asked, unsure why this was e an issue.

“Because I have six months. How am I going to find a woman who not only loves me, but who I can introduce to the pack, and who genuinely wants to have a child with me after only knowing me for a few months? That’s not real life! That’s a Lifetime movie. It’s not going to happen…no, the best thing I can hope for is that maybe I find someone who's nice and respectful, who I can trick into a pregnancy,” he said thoughtfully.

“I don’t think you should be tricking anyone into a pregnancy,” Stuart said quietly.

Charles frowned. “What do you think I should do?”

Stuart grinned unexpectedly and handed Charles his phone.

“What should I do with this?” Charles asked curiously.

Stuart rolled his eyes and scrolled through his information. “There’s a new dating app for shapeshifters.  It’s called Sinder, “  Stuart said, pulling it up on his phone and shoving it under Charles' nose.

“Sinder?” Charles asked, confused, as he stared down at the app.

“Yeah, you’ll like it. Trust me. See, you swipe right if you like the person and you swipe left if you don’t. No one can contact you unless you give them permission and you guys match. It’s really easy, kind of like a game, actually,” Stuart said, showing him the app.

“A game? Like something I could win?” Charles asked, confused.

“Well, winning would be finding a mate, so I guess if you want to look at it like that.” “Weird, but ok,” Charles said with a shrug.             

Charles began to look over the app and saw the variety of different women on there. He handed Stuart back his phone.  “So what do I do?” Charles asked him curiously.

“So what do I do?” Charles asked curiously.

“You make a profile and then we get you looking for a mate.” Stuart grabbed a bottle of scotch from the center of the table and poured them each a tumbler.

“What if I can’t find a mate? Or what if there are people who don’t want me because I’m a shapeshifter?” Charles asked worriedly.

Stuart chuckled and shook his head, “Believe me, the app is built for women who have a thing for shapeshifters. Everyone is going to want you; you look like Adonis, Charles, you’ll be fine. Just stop worrying. You’ll definitely find a mate. There are thousands of girls in this city waiting to pounce on an eligible bachelor and you, my friend, fit the ticket to a T.” Charles frowned, contemplating what his friend was saying then sighed deeply before consenting. “Well, alright. Let’s make a profile.” Charles said.

“Excellent. Now, give me your phone and I’ll help start you off,” Stuart said, taking Charles phone from him right as Bradley came by and plopped himself down beside them.

“Evening, gentlemen.” Bradley took the empty bottle of wine that Charles had already finished off.

Charles smirked when he saw Bradley frown at the empty bottle.

“So how is everything going? Trying to find a mate?” Bradley asked, reaching for another bottle further down the table and taking it before the person beside him could grab it.

“I don’t think that’s any of your business,” Charles said, smirking over his tumbler of Scotch as he watched Bradley pour some of the more bitter wine into his cup.

“On the contrary, if I’m going to take over as Alpha, I should know how soon,” Bradley said, making Charles seethe at his pompous attitude.

“You know, it’s a crime to threaten the Alpha.”

Bradley scowled and rolled his eyes, taking a sip of wine and making a face at the bitter taste.

“Did they not teach that when they told you of the other laws? I could rip out your tongue for insulting me,” Charles growled.

“You know, the first thing I’m going to do when I become Alpha is get better wine up in this house. Really, Charles, your taste in wine is absolutely terrible. You should leave that up to a professional, as a matter of fact, you should leave a lot more things up to a professional, you know,” Bradley said, smirking as Charles’s face turned bright red at the accusation.